• There's finally going to be a Maple Leaf parading the Stanley Cup in Toronto. Problem is, it'll be former Blackhawk Dave Bolland. Interesting part of this may be that he says he's put his former team behind him and his Chicago sweater will stay in the closet. Not sure how often that happens.

• Fans were shocked to hear the news of Ziggy Palffy's retirement yesterday...because they assumed he'd retired years ago. The 41-year-old former Islander, King and Penguin goes out on top, having led the Slovakian league with 83 points in just 48 games last year.

• The Panthers gave former San Jose center Scott Gomez a one-year deal Thursday. Not sure if this is great news, Florida. My son, a Sharks fan, started dancing around the room when I broke the news that San Jose wasn't re-signing Gomez.

• Since Detroit's fans might not have paid close attention to the East in the past, the team's site is offering up a primer to get everyone up to speed. Here's yesterday's take on the New York Islanders.

• The U.S. has plenty of problems on its plate right now, but this needs to become a priority, pronto. If the land that embraces pork rinds and Icelandic yogurt can't make room for the finest donuts in all of creation, then I fear for the future.